


Burn, Booky, Burn

by Rellanka



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben Loves Klaus Just as Much, But Could Easily Be Read as Platonic, But This is a Klaus POV Fic, Fluff, Gen, Klaus Loves Ben a Lot, Light Angst, M/M, Purposefully Misspelled Title, Very Subtle Ben/Klaus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 12:00:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rellanka/pseuds/Rellanka
Summary: Just wheredoesBen get those book(s), anyway?





	Burn, Booky, Burn

“Klaus, I am telling you for the last time: don’t do it.” Ben’s arms were folded in front of his chest, his best ‘I disapprove entirely of the choice’s you’re making, Klaus’ look firmly on his face. 

As he usually did, Klaus ignored him. Really, he loved Ben with everything he was, but if he always (or ever) listened to his dearly departed other half, he would never get to do anything fun. 

“C’mon Benny, I know you’ve gotta be bored with just following me around. Entertaining as I’m sure I am,” he bowed theatrically even as Ben scoffed, “Even I cannot entertain _all_ the time. Nor can I turn the pages for you every time you want to read something. Thus: fire!”

“It’s sacrilege to burn a book.” Ben snapped in, his inner literature geek clearly in full control and not allowing him to embrace the pure genius of Klaus’ idea. Really, he was doing it for Ben’s sake, anyway. He should be more grateful. 

“If I don’t burn the book, Benny dear, then we’ll never find out where books go when they die; or if it’s possible for them to be used by late literature fanatics such as yourself.” Klaus said, finishing setting up the book in the dented pot he’d rescued from someone’s trash can, bits of torn paper surrounding the book to work as an accelerant. 

Ben rolled his eyes at him, “You know you’re being ridiculous, right? If you were right, then we would have already come across a ton of ‘ghost’ books. This isn’t going to work.”

Klaus shrugged and said carelessly in response, “Maybe books move on quick if someone doesn’t come along to give them a ghostly home.” 

Ben stared at him with a deeply unimpressed look, “Really?” he asked flatly.

Klaus grinned unrepentantly back at him, a familiar manic shine in his eyes, “Let’s find out anyway!” he cried happily before abruptly lighting his match and throwing it into the pot. 

It was anticlimactic, really. The fire didn’t burn through the whole book at first, so Klaus had to strike a few more matches to get it to burn more. And when Klaus had finally thought that he’d managed to destroy the damn thing completely, the ashes settled and the book sat at the bottom of the pot, looking mostly untouched. 

“Damnit.” Klaus said and reached into the pot as Ben snorted off to the side and began asking if they could go do something that was actually fun now. 

They both stopped dead when Klaus’ hand passed right through the book. 

Ben was the first to react, stepping closer, his “What the **fuck**?!” quickly drowned out by Klaus’ crowing. 

“Ha! I _told_ you it would work! Why does no one ever appreciate my genius?” he phrased to the world in general.

Ben struggled to regain his usual dismissive composure, retorting back, “Because you have none, dumbass.” But it was kind of ruined with how his hand was now hovering over a few inches over the pot, as if scared to get closer. 

Klaus looked at him and stopped crowing, his heart twisting at the almost desperate, longing hope not quite hidden on Ben’s face, “Hey, don’t let my hard work go waste. Give it a home before it moves on.” he teased, his voice pitched as soft and supportive as he could make it.

Ben grimaced in reply, sending him a quick glare, before reaching down carefully almost as if he expected the book to rear up and bite him. Or for it to dissolve as he touched it, which would probably be worst. 

His face, when he actually closed his hand around the ghost book was just as shocked as Klaus felt. 

Carefully, as if he were touching eggshell-thin porcelain, Ben brought the book toward himself and used his other hand to open it, staring down at the pages in desperate wonder. 

“I can read it.” He breathed softly, joy shining from his face as he collapsed gracelessly to the floor and began turning pages, running his eyes over them as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. 

Looking at his other half, the man that Klaus knew he wouldn’t be able to survive without, seeing his happiness and knowing that he was the one that put it there, Klaus felt happy for the first time in a long time. 

He had finally done something good for Ben, finally paid him back just a little for being the only thing keeping Klaus sane. The only thing that stayed.

It felt good. 

***

 **Later:**

“But I just-“

“Klaus, I don’t care what your intentions are, you are **not** _burning down a library_! For one thing, if Five ever came back, he would _kill_ you! No.” 

**End.**

**Author's Note:**

> And there is my answer to where does Ben get his reading materials, anyway. 
> 
> Lol, I almost named this 'Where Do Books Go When They Die?' but I went with 'Burn, Booky, Burn' because I can honestly picture Klaus saying that gleefully while watching the flames. (If you don't know what the title is based off of, then I might not be the least aware person ever when it comes to pop-culture references. The second least, maybe.) I tease, I tease.
> 
> Up to you whether or not the book left a ghost behind because it was **Klaus** that burned it or if Klaus is right and books do just have ghost forms that move on quickly if not given a home quick enough. Meaning every time you destroy a book, it haunts you- just a little. :D


End file.
